


I'll Carry You Home (Tonight)

by velociraptor52



Category: The Hour (TV)
Genre: M/M, One Shot, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:35:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21810928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velociraptor52/pseuds/velociraptor52
Summary: What if Hector had answered the phone instead of Bel?  One-shot fic.
Relationships: Freddie Lyon/Hector Madden
Kudos: 2





	I'll Carry You Home (Tonight)

**Author's Note:**

> This was something I wrote back in 2017 and I decided to polish it and post it here (because I felt like there wasn't enough Freddie/Hector fics on the internet). Takes place after episode 1x03, so spoilers for that episode if anyone is watching the show for the first time and hasn't reached that episode yet. Unbeta'd, so any mistakes are my own.

The echo of the sound of Kish's body hitting the floor reverberated through Freddie's head as he walked stoically back to his office.

He felt numb—the adrenaline that had coursed through his body just minutes before when he thought his life was on the line was gone, which left him exhausted and sore. The beginning of a headache was making itself known and Freddie rubbed impatiently at his forehead.

_What am I going to do now?_

_I should phone the police. Or the ambulance._

_Will anyone else see his body?_

_What the hell just happened? Who is Brightstone?_

Freddie huffed out an impatient sigh as he arrived back at his office, back at his desk. He saw something unfamiliar on his chair and then it hit him— _of course, his coat_. Freddie bit his lip in worry before he rifled through the coat, hoping to find something that would give him more information about Kish. And then there it was—the wallet and _oh look, a picture. Damn, he had kids._

 _I should phone the ambulance_ , Freddie thought again as he picked up the phone. _They can help._ Freddie automatically dialed a number, but it wasn't the number for the ambulance. It was a number he knew backward and forwards and by heart. It was a number he had dialed many times before both in his drunken states and sober states and he knew she would be able to help. _She has to help me._

The phone rang and rang. _Please pick up, please pick up, please pick up_...then: "Hello?"

Freddie blinked, taken aback by the voice on the other end of the line and gave the phone an accusatory glance as if it had put him through to a wrong number on purpose. _But I have the right number. I should..._

"Hello?" The same voice, although slightly impatient now.

"Hector?"

"Freddie?" Hector sounded as taken aback as Freddie must have sounded to Hector.

"Why are you at Bel's? No, never mind, don't answer that. Where is she? Where's Bel?"

"She using the toilet. She told me to answer the phone for her. What are you calling for at this time? It's late. It's midnight," Hector added pointedly.

Freddie closed his eyes and tried to will himself not to cry. Of course, it was difficult—he had thought he was done for, but then he wasn't. And the ongoing spy stuff was wearing down on him and as much as he didn't want Hector and Bel to end up together, as much as he was fighting against that even happening, of course it had happened, and his whole world was just crashing down around him and he was so exhausted and sore and...

"Freddie, are you still there?"

"What? Yeah, yeah, I am," Freddie answered hurriedly, wiping away a few tears that ( _of course_ ) were rolling down his cheek. "Sorry to bother you at this time. I'll leave you—"

"Where are you?"

Freddie debated whether he should answer that question or not. He could just hang up right now and not worry anyone. No one would know. "The office," Freddie finally answered, albeit hesitantly.

"Why are you at the office at midnight? Go home, Freddie."

"I can't," Freddie mumbled under his breath.

"What? I didn't quite catch that. What'd you say?"

Freddie drew in a shuddering breath. "Something happened."

"Is it your father? Was there another break-in?"

 _Of course Bel told him,_ Freddie thought tiredly.

"No, not him...you know what, you don't need to know. Don't worry. I'll go home. 'Night."

"Damn..." Hector mumbled. Freddie thought he was talking to himself. "Hold on, Freddie. I'll come pick you up."

"No, you don't need to do that, I'll walk home. Don't worry. Nothing happened."

"You sure you're all right?"

Freddie shook his head to himself and then said, "Tell Bel I said hi." Then he hung up and he called for the ambulance.

* * *

Of course he should have known the arrival of the ambulance would also have been brought to the attention of the police, prompting their arrival, and then, to top it all off, Bel showed up to the studio as well. And, of course, trailing in Bel's quick strides was Hector, deliberately hanging a couple steps behind Bel. Bel had mentioned to Freddie something about being worried about him after Hector relayed the call to her and she had wanted to come down to the studio to check on him and to pick him up to drive him back home, although that plan was waylaid by all the activity that was currently going on.

Freddie excused himself when he was able to do so and decided to sit in the cafeteria to pass the time. There was no one working in that area at that time of night and, aside from a slight buzzing from some of the fluorescent lights, it was silent. Freddie welcomed the silence--it was a relief from the hustle and bustle that had been going on with the police and the ambulance drivers. Stifling a yawn, Freddie checked the clock--it was getting on to be 2 AM and Freddie's eyes felt heavy with sleep.

He sighed and decided that closing his eyes would be good, resting his head down on his arms...

"Freddie."

"Hmm?"

Someone shook him. "Freddie."

"Yeah?" Freddie mumbled.

"You awake?"

"Now I am," Freddie said with a groan, still half asleep.

"Come on."

Freddie opened his eyes, blinking against the bright fluorescent lights, and Hector's face swam into view. "Oh god, not you."

Hector frowned down at Freddie and it was clear he bit back a reply that was on the tip of his tongue. Instead he said, "Bel asked me to drive you back to your apartment."

"What about you and her? Weren't you guys spending the night together?"

"We were. Not anymore. Not with all...not with all of this going on." Hector sighed and said, "Come on."

Freddie nodded after a minute, stood and stretched, and obligingly followed Hector back to the car.

* * *

It was raining again. The rain bounced off the roof and the windows, which made Freddie's headache worse. Luckily Freddie's dad was already in bed, fast asleep, when Freddie and Hector came into the flat.

"Thanks," Freddie said to Hector in a whisper and moved off toward his bedroom.

"Wait, Freddie." Hector didn't continue after that—he looked somewhat hesitant and unsure if he should continue. Freddie raised a brow at Hector's silence, as if asking him, "What? Go on." "Do you want a drink?" Hector finally asked, also whispering.

As much as Freddie wanted to go to sleep, there were too many thoughts running through his mind to even contemplate sleeping. He knew the one thing he would be thinking of once he closed his eyes would be Brightstone and he didn't relish the idea of reliving Kish's demise in his dreams. As much as Freddie wanted to go to sleep, he was scared--he didn't know what his dreams would consist of. _Maybe one drink won't hurt._ So Freddie nodded. "Living room," Freddie said as he headed off in that direction. "You go get the drink. In the kitchen," he added as he nodded in the direction of the kitchen. Hector nodded and moved off in that direction while Freddie went into the living room.

The couch was soft and Freddie sank into it with a groan. As soon as he sat down he felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. _Hector better hurry up with that drink..._ Freddie closed his eyes, wondering if he could get in a quick five-minute nap.

"Here, I didn't know what you wanted so..." Freddie opened his eyes and Hector trailed off as he clumsily shoved a drink into Freddie's hand. Freddie glanced down at it and raised a brow.

"Whiskey," Hector said in response to Freddie's quizzical expression.

"Whiskey," Freddie repeated with a nod. "Thanks, I guess."

"You don't drink that?" Hector asked as he sat next to Freddie. Freddie noticed Hector had a glass of water in his hand.

"Occasionally. Not usually so late at night. Or so early in the morning. But cheers anyway," Freddie added as he lifted the glass and gingerly sipped at the drink, rubbing at his forehead when the movement pained him. "Ahh...damn headache."

"So what happened anyway? I only heard a few things here and there from the police."

Freddie set the glass back down onto the table and pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes, thinking back to what had happened. It didn't seem real. It seemed like it had been another world. He had lived in that world, the world Kish had lived in, and now he was here in this world, living in a world without Kish, and with a whole mess of problems and Brightstone. _Who the hell is Brightstone?_

After a minute of silence Freddie finally shook his head and opened his eyes again. "I don't want to talk about it now. What time is it?" he asked, craning his neck around to look at the clock. The movement made his head hurt more—Freddie bit down on a gasp and squinted at the clock as he felt a stab of pain in his head.

"Nearly three," Hector answered.

"Christ, I'm tired," Freddie said as he stifled a yawn. "I'm sorry for keeping you up, Hector. You can go back to Bel's now," he added off-handedly. Freddie stood, and as he stood he felt the world tilt—he groaned, shutting his eyes against the stab of pain in his head. "Damn headache..." he muttered. Freddie felt hands on his shoulders, gently pushing him back down to the couch.

"I'll go get you a cold compress or something," Hector said hurriedly. He sounded worried and Freddie was startled to hear that tone in Hector's voice. He normally didn't associate the act of worrying with Hector's composed demeanor. 

Freddie opened his eyes. "No need to!" he called out to Hector as he saw him leave the room. "Come back, Hector. Don't worry. This headache will pass on its own." _Stab—pain._ Freddie squeezed his eyes shut. "Hopefully. Maybe the whiskey will help," he added to himself as he leaned forward slowly, grabbing the whiskey, taking a tentative sip from it. "Either that or it'll put me to sleep faster than you could say..."

"Say what?" Hector asked as he sat back down on the couch next to Freddie, handing him a makeshift cold compress (some ice in a tea towel).

Freddie shook his head, putting the whiskey back onto the coffee table, and pressed the cold compress against his forehead with a sigh. "You and Bel."

"Funny, didn't know that was a saying," Hector joked with a half-grin.

Freddie gazed at him.

"You're doing that again, Freddie."

"Sorry, doing what again?"

"Staring at me like you can either see right through me or read my thoughts. It's unnerving."

Freddie closed his eyes and shook his head, a slight grin appearing on his face. "Sorry, didn't know it seemed that way." He leaned back against the couch and opened his eyes again, staring at the ceiling. "This better? So. You and Bel."

"Yes."

Freddie glanced at Hector before glancing back up at the ceiling. Then he leaned forward, grabbed the whiskey, took a sip with a gasp (the movement jostled his headache again), set the glass back down on the table, leaned back against the couch, and readjusted the cold compress, eyes focused on the ceiling again. "How long has it been going on?" he finally asked after a couple of seconds of silence. After a couple of more seconds of silence, Freddie guessed, "The party over the weekend?"

"We..." Hector sighed and then answered with some reluctance, "Yes."

Freddie closed his eyes. "Of course." Hector's confirmation made Freddie take another sip of his whiskey. "Why aren't you having anything?" he asked after he set the glass back down and leaned back against the couch.

"It's too late."

"It's 5 PM somewhere..." Freddie murmured sleepily.

"True, but I do have to pick up Bel and drive her back home."

"Well, then I won't keep you." Freddie stood up again and as he did the world tilted again. Freddie closed his eyes as he felt a wave of dizziness come over him and it was at this point that he felt hands on his shoulders again, and then he felt Hector drawing Freddie's right arm over his own shoulders, and he felt another hand on his left side to support him. Hector's hand felt warm through Freddie's shirt and Freddie focused on that as he fought through the haze of dizziness.

"Let's get you to bed," Hector said decisively. Despite only having been to Freddie's place one time, he still remembered where his bedroom was—he still remembered how it looked, with newspaper clippings up on the wall and books stacked haphazardly on the floor and on the desk. Hector would be hesitant to call Freddie's room messy—he had seen messy rooms and Freddie's was far from messy. He thought it reflected Freddie in some way—Freddie's logic, Freddie's way of thinking—it may be chaotic, in some way, but it made sense in other ways, like Freddie's way of thinking. "So...was anything stolen?"

"What?" It took Freddie a while to realize he was talking about the break-in that had occurred. "What? Oh, no, nothing."

"Well, that's good."

"My dad...scared."

"I can only imagine. I would be too."

"The books...gave you..."

Hector chuckled. "I'll return them. Don't worry."

A moment of silence passed between them.

"Thanks for tonight, Hector."

"Don't mention it."

Hector managed to maneuver Freddie into the bedroom. "Well, here we are," he said. "Your bed. Home sweet home," he added with a grin as he dropped Freddie onto his bed. The maneuver threw Hector off his feet and he ended up on Freddie's bed as well with an "oomph!". This made Freddie start laughing, which set off Hector, which then made Freddie start shushing Hector.

"Don't wake my dad!"

Hector shook his head, finally managed to control his laughter, and nodded. "That wouldn't be good at all," he remarked in a whisper.

"Thanks. Again. Thank you."

"You've already said that once. Now get to bed. You're drunk."

"Because of that whiskey," Freddie groaned as he rolled his eyes dramatically and decided to rest his head on Hector's shoulder. "Which _you_ made me drink," he added pointedly.

"You could have said no. How's your headache?"

"Hmm...seems to be getting better. Your improvised cold compress really helped." Freddie closed his eyes, breathing in the scent that was on Hector's jacket—it smelled faintly of Bel's perfume and of Hector's cigarettes and cologne. For a quick second Freddie felt jealous that Hector was with Bel--Freddie had had numerous dreams of himself and Bel--he had had numerous ideas and thoughts about what the two of them would be doing together in the future. And then for another quick second he felt jealous that Bel was with Hector. _What I wouldn't give..._ in another time Freddie would have wanted to be with Bel. In another time before Hector barged into their lives it would have been Bel and Freddie. But now that Hector was in the picture Freddie wondered what it would be like if it was just the both of them-Freddie and Hector. Or Freddie and Hector and Bel. "You know, your shoulder makes for a nice pillow."

"That's what Bel said."

 _Christ. I forgot. Him and Bel. Bel and him. Bel and Hector._ "I forgot."

"What?"

"You two are together."

Hector shrugged the shoulder that Freddie wasn't resting his head against. "Don't worry about it."

"She rests her head on your shoulder? Like this?"

Hector nodded.

"Hmm..." Freddie moved, sitting up. "Does she do this too?" he asked as he leaned forward and kissed Hector.

Hector flinched slightly when Freddie did that but didn't move away. Freddie was the one who broke off the kiss after about ten seconds (Hector didn't mean to count but he did) and when he pulled away he looked mortified, scared, and embarrassed. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I don't know what I was thinking, I just..." Freddie closed his eyes and shook his head and then said, "You should go and I should get to bed, I'm sorry, I'm normally not like this at all and—"

"Freddie."

"Hmm?" Freddie opened his eyes.

Hector was the one who leaned in this time and kissed Freddie (fifteen seconds—Freddie counted). It was also Hector who broke the kiss this time. He gazed at Freddie for some time before he said, "I'm with Bel."

"I know that," Freddie said, sounding affronted, as if Hector had just insulted him.

"And if I weren't then maybe I would be with you."

Freddie thought about Hector's words for a minute before nodding. "Can I be honest with you?" he asked. At Hector's nod, he continued, "I kind of see what Bel sees in you, but then you say things like that and then I can't see what she sees in you. You can't 'maybe' be with someone-you either are or you aren't."

Hector sighed. "Yes, well...go to bed. I'll see myself out. Good night," he added as he stood and walked out of Freddie's room.

"'Night," Freddie called out. He laid back down on the bed and closed his eyes, wondering if his dreams would be filled with Bel or with Hector, or with both of them.

**Author's Note:**

> I had some trouble figuring out how to end this fic (endings don't come easily for me). So I apologize if the ending is weird.


End file.
